Closure for jars and similar containers



Nov. 17, 1942.

CLOSURE FOR JARS AND SIMILAR CONTAINERS Filed Feb. 13, 1941 zverzzlor ,Z215 Franz Laefzz F. LUENz 2,301,962

Patented Nov. 17, 1942 CLOSURE FOR JARS AND SIMILAR CONTAINER/S Franz Luenz, Chicago, Ill., assigner to Edward C. McLean, Chicago, Ill.

Application February 13, 1941, Serial No. 378,749

9 Claims.

sure of novel and advantageous construction in which the parts are always held in assembled relation.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a reusable closure for jars, bottles, cans and other containers which is neat and attractive in appearance, eiticent and reliable in operation, and relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of a closure embodying the features oi the invention, the closure being shown as applied to a conventional glass jar.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the closure with the central portion of the outer member or cap cut away to show the latching mechanism.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View of the closure taken along the line 3 3 of Fig. 2 showing the outer member in locking position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along the same line as Fig. 3 but showing the outer member withdrawn to release position.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the inner or cover member of the device.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional View taken along the line -G of Fig. 2.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, butit is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed but intend to cover all modications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

For the purpose of illustration, the invention Mason jar It having an opening or mouth Il in a restricted neck portion I2. The neck portion is provided on its outer surface with ribs I3 constituting threads for receiving the usual screw tcp. Encircling the neck portion of the container below the ribs I3 is an annular sealing.

flange or bead M which provides a seat for a jar ring or gasket of the well known type. In the present instance the downwardly facing shoulder presented by the bead is utilized to lock the closure in place on the container. It will be understood, of course, that the improved closure may be used with bottles,4 cans, or any other similar container having suitable means for locking the cover member in sealing position thereon.

In its preferred form, the improved closure comprises an inner member or cover I5 and an outer member or cap I assembled in telescoping relation. The inner member is shaped to t over the mouth of a container to close the same and is formed with a depending flexible or resilient skirt portion I'I adapted to encircle the neck of the container. The outer member is similar in shape to the inner member having a peripheral side wall IS adapted to iit snugly over the skirt portion of the cover member and operative to force the same into locking engagement with the wall oi the container when the cap is pressed down substantially to the position shown in Fig. 3 ci the drawing. When the cap member is moved upwardly to the position shown in Fig. e, the skirt portion of the cover is freed for flexing movement. The cap is retained in either the locking or the released position by means of a novel latch mechanism I9 enclosed -in a compartment formed between the end portions of the cover and cap members, the mechanism having means accessible exteriorly of the cap for manually releasing the same.

In the particular closure illustrated, the inner cover member l5 is stamped or drawn from sheet metal to provide an end wall 2| and a peripheral side wall which constitutes the skirt portion of the member. The end wall is preferably inwardly offset from the top edge of the side wall thus leaving an encircling upstanding flange 22 to define the compartment for the latching mechanism. To` provide the desired resiliency, the skirt portion I'I of the cover member is slotted at its lower edge to form a series of spaced, relatively narrow lingers 23 adapted to extend along the neck oi the container. The free end of each finger is curled inwardly, preferably in has been shown as applied to a conventional a double roll 24 for yieldably gripping the down- 31 clears the inner edge of the flange 22.

wardly facing shoulder provided by the bead le of the container. A gasket of cork, rubber or other suitable material between the end wall of the cover and the top of the container insures effective sealing of the same.

As the peripheral wall I8 of the cap member le should be relatively rigid to carry out its intended function, this member may be stamped or drawn from sheet metal if desired. As herein shown, the wall is of generally cylindrical shape and is closed at its upper end by a top wall 25. a substantially dat annular outer edge portion 27 adapted for seating on the flange 22 of the cover member while the central portion is domed as indicated in Fig. 3 to provide ample clearance for the latch mechanism. The peripheral wall I3 is of suicient diameter to t snugly over the skirt portion of the cover member so that the cap may move freely between the lower or locking position and the upper or release position shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing respectively. A bead 28 formed around the lower edge of this wall serves to strengthen it and provides convenient means for manually gripping the cap to move it from one position to the other.

The latch mechanism i9 in its preferred form comprises a pair of latch elements 3l and 32 herein shown as flat metal stampings each having a generally rectangular body portion from one edge of which projects a pair of laterall7 spaced latch lugs 33. The elements are adapted to be assembled in opposed relation, that is, with the latch lugs facing outwardly and are slidably -held in this relation by means of an elongated offset tail piece 3d projecting rearwardly from one element and engaging in spaced guide sockets on the other element. The sockets are conveniently formed by striking up tabs 35 from opposite side edges of the element andV bending the respective tabs upwardly and inwardly as shown in Fig. 6. Projecting from the outer edge of each latch element, preferably midway between the latch lugs 33, is an elongated tongue 31 Vhaving its outer end bent upwardly as at 38 to provide a finger grip for manipulating the latch mechanism. Suitable spring means is provided for yieldably urging the latch elements apart. This means as herein shown comprises a coiled compression spring 33 interposed between a shoulder on the tail piece 35i and they adjacent end of the latch element 32, the spring being held in place by the tail piece which it encircles.

In the particular closure illustrated, the latch mechanism is installed within the compartment defined by the wall 2l and ange 22 of the cover member l5. To this end the flange 22 is provided at opposite sides with spaced apertures 4| (Figs. 5 and 6) adapted to slidably receive the latch lugs 33. Midway between the respective pairs of apertures are slots l2 and i3 for receiving the tongues 3l.

To facilitate assembly, the slot 43 is dimensioned to receive the bent up portion 33 of the tongue when the associated latch element is in its normal position, Thus, with the latch elements 3| and 32 and spring 39 assembled as a unit, the bent up portion of one of the tongues 3l Ymay be hooked into the slot d2 and the assembly rocked downwardly until it lies llat on the wall 2i. In this operation the latch elements are pressed together against the action of the spring 3!V until the end of the other tongue Upon The top wall is preferably formed withY release, the--spring-acts to'project the-lugs 33 and 75 tongues 3l through the apertures and slots prvided for their reception.

As will be seen by reference to Figs. l and 2, the peripheral wall i8 of the cap member is provided on each side with upper and lower sets of apertures l and il spaced apart circumferentially of the wall to receive the latch lugs The sets of apertures, in turn, are spaced apart vertically so that the upper set #l alines with the apertures lll of the cover member when the cap is moved into the locking position shown in Fig. 3. The lower set of apertures il aline with the apertures lll when the cap member is moved to the upper or release position shown in Fig, 4. Vertical slots 8 in the wall i8 between the pairs of apertures accommodate the tongues 3l which are arranged to project substantially beyond the outer surface of the wall. Accordingly, upon relative movement of the cap and cover members to either their locking or release positions, the spring 3Q will operate to project the latch lugs 33 through the alined apertures in the respective members and thus positively latch the members together. To release the latch so that the members may be shifted from one position to the other, the finger grips 38 are simply pressed together to force the latch elements inwardly and thus retract the latch lugs from the apertures. No tools are required for this purpose and the effectiveness of the device is in no way impaired by repeated use.

It will also be seen that, with this arrangement the inner and outer members of the closure are always held in assembled relationship so that there is no chance of one of the parts being misplaced. However, the members may be quickly and easily disassembled and reassembled without the use of tools by simply forcing the finger grip 38 into the slot 43 of the cover member. This allows the tongue 37 to clear the lower edge of the slot 4S so that one side of the cover member may be readily withdrawn from the cap. The other tongue may then be withdrawn by simply tilting the cover member sufciently to clear the lower edge of the cap. The reverse procedure is followed in assembling the inner and outer members.

When the closure is to be applied to a jar or other container, the cap member is set in its upper or release position as shown in Fig. 4 and the cover member is slipped over the mouth of the container. Due to the flexible character of the skirt portion of the cover member, the rolls 2d are enabled to slide over the bead i4 and engage the downwardly facing shoulder which it presents. The latch mechanism is then released by pressing the finger grips 3i! between the thumb and finger and the cap l is pushed down into the lower or locking position shown in Fig. 3. In this position, the peripheral wall of the cap forces the skirt portion of the cover inwardly and the rolls 24 thus ride over the inclined shoulder of the bead Ill and tend to draw the cover down tightly over the mouth of the container.

The cover member is positively retained in the locking position by the latch lugs 33 projecting through the alined apertures 4l and l in the flange 22 and wall i8. Thus accidental displacement of the closure is effectually prevented. To remove the-closure it is only necessary to release the latch mechanism by pressing in the nger grips 38 whereupon the cap member may be shifted to its upper or release position. This can be done vconveniently by gripping the bead l28. The cover member may then be lifted from the and other containers.

. container, the skirt portion ilexing to permit the rolls 24'to ride over the bead lll.`

It will be ,apparent from the foregoing that the invention provides a reusable closure of novel and advantageous construction for jars, bottles, cans The parts employed are of simple form and lend themselves readily to production by simple stamping operations. Moreover, they may be assembled with a minimum of labor which further contributes to low manufacturing costs. Through the medium of the novellatch mechanism provided by the invention, the inner and outer members of the closure may be locked in one position to eiiectually prevent removal from the container or in an alternate position permitting convenient removal and reapplication to the container. Latching and unlatching of the closure members is eiected easily without the use of tools and without the slightest impairment of the closure for reuse.

I claim as my invention:

1. A closure for containers comprising, in combination, a generally cup-shaped cover adapted to fit over the open end of the container, said cover having a flexible skirt portion engageable with the walls of the container, a sleeve-like cap assembled in telescoping relation with said cover and movable into a position to force the skirt portion into locking engagement with the container, a pair of latch members slidably supported on said cover for movement radially thereof, said cap having apertures positioned to receive said latch members when the cap is moved into loc-king position, spring means yieldably urging said latch members into the apertures, and manually engageable means for retracting the latch members to free the cap for movement into a position to release the cover for removal from the container.

2. A closure for a jar or similar container comprising, in combination, a generally cup-shaped inner member adapted to close the mouth of the jar, said member having a depending skirt portion terminating in a flexible edge adapted to engage a downwardly facing shoulder formed on the jar, an outer member having a peripheral side wall dimensioned to iit over said inner member and operative in one position to force the flexible edge of the skirtportion into locking engagement with the shoulder on the jar, and means for latching said outer member in said one position including a pair of members having oppositely facing latch lugs adapted to be projected through alined apertures in the skirt portion of the inner member and the peripheral wall portion of the outer member.

3. A closure for a jar or similar container comprising, in combination, an inner member having a top wall shaped to close the mouth of the jar and a depending flexible skirt portion extending along the sides of the jar, an upstanding flange encircling said top wall to form therewith a shallow compartment, an outer member having a top wall adapted to cover said compartment and a peripheral side wall dimensioned to fit snugly over the skirt portion of the inner member, said members being relatively movable from one position in which the skirt portion of the inner member is forced into locking engagement with the sides of the jar to an alternate position in which the skirt portion is released for flexing movement to allow removal from the jar, and latch mechanism enclosed in said compartment for releasably latching said members in either position.

4. A closure for a jar or similar container comprising, in combination, an inner member having a top Wall shaped to close the mouth of the jar and a Vdepending flexible skirt portion extending along the sides of the jar, an upstanding flange encircling said top wall to form therewith a shallow compartment, an outer member having a top Wall adapted to cover said compartment and A,a peripheral side wall dimensioned to iit snugly over the skirt portion of the inner member, said members being relatively movable from one position in which the skirt portion of the inner member is forced into locking engagement with the sides of the jar to an alternate position in which the skirt portion is released for flexing movement to allow removal from the jar, and latch mechanism including a plurality of latch elements disposed in said compartment each having a plurality of latch lugs yieldably urged into apertures in said ilange, the peripheral wall of said outer member having sets of apertures spaced apart to aline with the apertures in said flange and receive the latch lugs when the members are set in either of said positions.

5. A latch mechanism for closures having generally cup-shaped inner and outer members arranged in telescoping relation, said mechanism comprising a pair of ilat metallic elements supported in opposed relation on one of the members, each element having at one edge a pair of laterally spaced lugs adapted to be projected through alined apertures in the members to latch the same in predetermined fixed relation, a tongue extending rearwardly from one element over the other element, spaced guide sockets on said other element for slidably receiving said tongue, and spring means yieldably urging said elements into latching engagement with the members.

6. A latch mechanism for closures having generally cup-shaped inner and outer members arranged in telescoping relation, said mechanism comprising a pair of flat metallic elements supported in opposed relation on one of the members, each element having at one edge a pair of laterally spaced lugs adapted to be projected through alined apertures in the members to latch the same in predetermined fixed relation, spring means yieldably urging said elements into latching engagement with the members, and an eX- tension on each element accessible exteriorly of the outer member for manually retracting the elements from latching engagement with the members.

'7. A latch mechanism for closures having generally cylindrical inner and outer members assembled in telescoping relation, said mechanism comprising a pair of latch elements slidably supported at one end of the inner member for movement radially thereof, latch lugs on the outer edges of said elements adapted to be projected through alined apertures in the members to latch the same in predetermined iixed relation, means yieldably urging said elements into latching position, and manually operable means accessible exteriorly of the closure for retracting said elements from latching position.

8. A closure for a container comprising, in combination, an inner` member adapted to close the container and having a depending flexible skirt portion, a cap member shaped to fit over said cover member, means on the cap member operative to force the skirt portion of the cover member inwardly against the walls of the container, said skirt portion and the container having cooperating means for holding the cover member in sealing engagement with the coning and releasing positions, said cap member having a part adapted to extend over said skirt portion and force the same inwardly into engagement with the Wall of the container When the cap member is in the locking position, said part being Withdrawn from overlapping,r relation to said skirt portion to release the same from locking engagement with the container when the cap member is moved to the releasing position, an interengaging latch means on said cover member and said cap member operative to Yreleasably latch the cap member in each of said positions.

FRANZ LUENZ. 

